Arts and Culture

Local Filmmakers Get World Premieres at 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival Lineup Reveal

The 44th edition of the long-standing international film festival includes 270+ films across 10 venues, including world premieres by local filmmakers.

By Kristi Alexandra /

The Vancouver International Film Festival unveiled its full lineup yesterday, bringing about 170 features and 100 short films to 10 venues across the city from October 2 to 12.

Of note are world premieres for Vancouver local filmmakers Mayumi Yoshida (Akashi), Jennifer Chiu (Clan of the Painted Lady), Kent Donguines (Treasure of the Rice Terraces), Jenn Strom (The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes) and Bryce Hodgson (Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants).

“In a world grappling with tension and austerity, it’s a privilege to be at VIFF during a period of optimism and ascendence,” writes Kyle Fostner, VIFF’s executive director, in a release. “Our special connection to B.C.’s film and television industry continues to grow with new programs and initiatives designed to strengthen careers and further business development.”

The festival will sprawl out across familiar theatres in the city, like Vancouver Playhouse and the Rio Theatre, but this year also includes new spots for the festival: the Granville Island Stage from Arts Club Theatre Company, and French cinema house, Alliance Française.

As with most years, the festival boasts a bevy of international films that have been on the festival circuit, like The Blue Trail (dir. Gabriel Mascaro), which won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at Berlinale; If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (dir. Mary Bronstein) and Seeds (dir. Brittany Shyne), the winner of Sundance’s US Grand Jury Prize for documentary.

“This year’s festival will be bookended by two incredible films that explore epic artistic endeavours: Godard’s Breathless and Jarrett’s The Köln Concert. It’s a chance for audiences to both get caught up in the intoxicating rush of creating art and honour the sheer determination that’s often required to stage an event of enduring cultural significance,” writes director of programming Curtis Woloschuk. 

The Signals Creative Tech Expo often includes interactive installations. Photo Credit: VIFF.

The 44th edition of the city-wide festival also brings back its longstanding programs VIFF Live, a series of events that sees the intersection of music and cinema; VIFF Talks, featuring an evening with Marc Maron; VIFF Amp, a performance and speaker series that explores the role of music in the film and TV industry and the Signals Creative Tech Expo, a co-presented expo with DigiBC that explores tech and AI in media.

New this year is a spotlight on Korea, giving a nod to the growing catalogue of incredible Korean cinema that’s emerged in the past few years, including Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice (starring Squid Game’s Lee Byung Hun) and Hong Sangsoo’s What Does That Nature Say to You.

It looks like Swifties all over the city won’t have their “wildest dreams” come true, as a much-anticipated Taylor Swift documentary premiere rumour turned out to be just that: a rumour. The festival will, however, screen 130 other premieres across its 270-plus titles.

Tickets are on sale from August 28 at 12 p.m. (noon) at viff.org.